The Faculty of Advocates has launched the Scottish Bar International Human Rights Award 2024 to recognise human rights lawyers and defenders who uphold human rights and the rule of law worldwide.
TWENTY new members were admitted to the Faculty of Advocates in calling ceremonies held last week.
Tony Lenehan KC has been elected as the new Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Advocates.
Lady Dorrian, the first woman to be appointed Lord Justice Clerk, has announced her intention to retire next year at the same time as the Lord President.
Schoolchildren participated in a recent mock trial at the University of the West of Scotland using materials from the MiniTrial initiative.
The Faculty of Advocates' Free Legal Services Unit (FLSU) will host a free event next month aimed at progressing the work being done to promote pro bono and extend access to justice.
Faculty is delighted to note the recent announcement of five new senators. In addition to two highly respected members of the Shrieval Bench, Sheriff Cubie and Sheriff Tait, the new senators will include members of Faculty Ronaldo Renucci KC, Kirsty Hood KC and Morag Ross KC.
Bruce Langlands has been appointed as the next Director of Training and Education at the Faculty of Advocates and will take up his new post in July this year.
Following a meeting of the Four Bars (England and Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland) in Belfast recently and in advance of the forthcoming Four Jurisdictions Conference in Belfast in June, the leadership of the Four Bars have issued the following joint statement on the proposed removal of juries for rape and other serious sexual offence trials in Scotland.
ON THE afternoon of 23 April, just as the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill met with a markedly poorer reception in Holyrood than the government hoped, I was at the University of Glasgow, participating in an international workshop on independent legal representation (ILR) and advice for complainers in serious sexual offence trials. In the Emma Ritch Law Clinic at the University, there exists a ground-breaking resource already providing complainers with advice on legal matters thrust upon them by the justice system, albeit not yet in relation to the trials themselves. Eamon Keane, principal solicitor at the clinic, and Jacqui Kingham, professor of Law and Social Change at the University, brought together at the workshop academics from around the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere to explain and explore the existing schemes in different jurisdictions around the globe.